Dates
16th - 21st Sep
Difficulty
3.5/5
Distance
450 kms
Ride Overview
Come ride this fascinating corner of South East Europe full of pretty villages, picturesque castles, rolling hills & friendly locals. Far from the beaten track, this 4.5 stage gravel ride explores the real Romania with epic riding by day and evenings spent with friendly locals in rural villages.
The riding takes us onto some stunning, smooth gravel, quiet back-roads & off roading on wide hard packed grass trails and epic singletrack through remote forests.. The terrain is varied with some rolling hills. Each stage is fully supported with regular checkpoints so you can ride at your own speed and is suitable to anyone comfortable riding consecutive 100km days.
Book now: Deposit £299 | Private Single £1,699 | Shared Twin / Double £1,499
Highlights
- Glorious Gravel: Our route takes in a mix of old country lanes (still gravel), tarmacked back roads and singletrack with epic views throughout.
- Local culture: Each evening is spent in family run hotels serving excellent local food and wine. The village give a fascinating insight into rural Romanian life.
- Fit for a King: Our second night is spent in the Saxon village of Viscri where King Charles III owns property and has supported a revival of traditional crafts.
Included in Ride Package
Accommodation
5 nights in comfortable, family run hotels. Choose private single, shared twin (2 beds) or shared double (1 bed) rooms.
Airport Transfers
Fly into Cluj (CLJ) and our friendly team will be there to collect you on arrival day and drop you back when you leave.
4 Epic Stages
And a prologue! From the start line to finish line, the route is fully supported on stunning gravel & back roads.
Meals
Bring some money for drinks in the evening but our package includes 5 dinners, 4 lunches & 5 breakfasts.
Checkpoints
Real food and mechanical support are waiting for you every 35km with a mix of sports bars, fruit and local specialties.
Luggage
We move your overnight bags from hotel to hotel each day and provide a day bag to collect at lunch with spare kit etc.
Stages
We start the ride with a short 28km prologue to make sure the legs & bike are in good condition for bigger rides to come.
This stage starts with a quick first 10km and then a gravel false flat and a short climb with around 70% off road to give you a taste of everything to come in the next four stages.
Distance: 28km
Elevation: 340m
Ride Difficulty: 1/5
Technical Difficulty: 2/5
Our first stage takes us into the Transylvanian Hills and has the most elevation of all of the 4 stages (1,650m).
It’s a ride of two halves with just a couple of short hills in the first 45km and then a lumpy back nine. Almost all of the second half in the hills is on gravel including some massive (30km) singletrack sections through the woods. There is only one major climb (3.5km at 5%) and lots of rolling terrain before our finish in Viscri.
Distance: 94km
Elevation: 1650m
Ride Difficulty: 4/5
Technical Difficulty: 3.5/5
Our first 100km day takes us west from Viscri. Unlike yesterday’s rolling stage, today is mostly fast & flat with five climbs to get over.
The longest climb is at 66km ( 4km at 7%), topping out at over 800m – our highest point of the week. We finish in the picturesque one road village of Talisoara for a night in a castle.
Distance: 103km
Elevation: 1500m
Ride Difficulty: 3/5
Technical Difficulty: 2/5
The longest stage of the week at 115km as we head south and then east to the charming historic town of Agnita.
Half of this stage is on paved roads and there are long sections of fast, flat riding. The first half is mostly on singletrack and gravel with most of the last half on paved roads so despite the length of the stage, it is fairly quick.
Distance: 115km
Elevation: 1050m
Ride Difficulty: 3.5/5
Technical Difficulty: 2/5
Our final stage takes us north back to where we started. It’s one of the tricker stages with a few technical sections and some climbs to get over.
After a start on the road, we hit the gravel and five climbs to get over (including one at 3km & 6%). The final 10km is quick before a pasta party & beers at the finish line.
Distance: 104km
Elevation: 1350m
Ride Difficulty: 3.5/5
Technical Difficulty: 3.5/5
Event Overview
Our Off:Roader series are non-competitive, designed to take you off the beaten track with a group of friendly, supportive riders. The whole event is social starting on arrival day with a gentle prologue and a cold beer all together at the finish line.
Each evening we eat together and have a ride briefing where our UK event manager goes through the next stage & our Romanian hosts talk us through the region we will be riding through.
The routes are fully supported – group size is 25-35 and we tend to ride in small groups (5-10 riders) and you will soon settle into a small peloton of riders going at a similar speed to you.
Our team are on hand at every step of the way – at the start line, riding on the route, at regular checkpoints and always a phone call away if you need anything. We take delight in our reputation of providing multi stage rides of a lifetime and nothing is too much trouble to ensure you have a great time.
Accommodation & Meals
This ride is set in rural Transylvania and some nights we stay in small villages with not a massive amount of tourist infrastructure. This is part of the appeal of the ride but please set expectations accordingly (not all rooms will come with a Corby Trouser Press!)
Our hotels are all family run and range through the week from comfortable to lovely. One of the hotels has a nice wellness centre but the real star of each property are the friendly staff who are very excited to be hosting this event.
In the evenings we all eat together in a local restaurant. We will send across a menu of what we will be eating before departure and there will be options for vegans & all dietary requirements.
Equipment & Packaging
We will send a full packing list but late September in Transylvania is similar to May in Mallorca – we should get warm sunny days but mornings & evenings can be fresh so knee & arm warmers will be useful as well as normal layers (gilet, wind-proof jacket etc). We don’t go high in the mountains so we are unlikely to get extreme conditions.
Evenings are casual but bring a jacket and don’t forget to pack swimmers. You will need to bring one small sided item of luggage which we will take from hotel to hotel and you will get a small day bag on arrival where you can pack extra clothing etc to collect at the second checkpoint.
The ride takes in a mix of gravel roads, tarmac and some off road sections on dirt / grass with a few technical descents that some riders may feel more comfortable walking. It is ideal for gravel bikes with all rounder tyres (38mm plus)
Event Program
16th Sept (all day): Arrive into Cluj airport, see below for transfer times.
16th Sept (4pm): Prologue (28km) starts.
16th Sept (7.30pm): Pre Ride briefing & dinner.
17th Sept: 8.30 to 9am stage start. 7.30pm briefing & dinner
18th Sept: 8.30 to 9am stage start. 7.30pm briefing & dinner
19th Sept: 7.30am to 8am stage start. 7.30pm briefing & dinner
20th Sept: 8.30 to 9am stage start. 7.30pm briefing & dinner
21st Sept: Departure day, see below for transfer times.
FAQs
On 16th Sept, we have two transfers at 10.30am (for anyone staying in Cluj on 15th) & 1.30pm (for arrivals up to 1pm). Both transfers get you into Cund in time to build bikes & ride the prologue.
On 21st Sept we have one transfer leaving Cund at 3.15pm and arriving at the airport at 5pm (suitable for any flights after 7pm).
Transfers take approx 1hr45
We are bringing out our usual fleet of Sonder Camino gravel bikes for this ride. Bike rental is £199 and available in all sizes from S to XL.
Please bring pedals & a helmet. Bikes will come with two bottle cages & a saddle bag with inners, levers & CO2.
Yes, in the checkout there is a box to put whoever you want to share a room with. If you are booking a double room (2 people, 1 bed) please select 2 people in the checkout.
You can secure your place with a deposit of £299. This is non-refundable so we strongly suggest you get travel insurance before booking (you can also purchase cancellation insurance in the checkout).
Full payment is due 3 months before departure (June 25th), we will send you a reminder when this is due.